Like the moribund textile industry or the previously comatose solid minerals and mining industry, the nation's automobile industry is almost on the edge of a precipice, and waiting for its eventual fall.

Apart from the Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) Limited (and perhaps the Anambra Motor Manufacturing Company Limited ANAMMCO), all other hitherto known indigenous automobile manufacturing clothes such as Volkswagen Nigeria Limited have long died. No one even bothers to talk about them as they now feel right to the history books.


LEADERSHIP Sunday investigations exposed that the nation's automobile industry (or what remains of it) is currently amazing under the weight of various problems. One of such, said an expert, is the insufficient patronage of locally-assembled automobiles; he cited most Nigerians' inability to afford them as a reason.

Other problems mentioned by expert include poor capital base, high cost of production, poor presentation of local content suppliers, poor operating environment, as well as obsolete technology.